Even in a small plot allocated for a vegetable garden, tomatoes and cucumbers will always be the most desirable "guests". These vegetable crops are traditionally grown by summer residents in various regions of our country. Even in Siberia and the Urals, these vegetables are grown not only in greenhouses, but also in the open field. True, in these regions it is preferable to grow early-maturing varieties in order to have time to get a harvest in a short summer.

Therefore, early and super-early varieties of cucumbers, which breeders regularly breed, are so popular with vegetable growers - the crop can be harvested as early as 1.5-2 months after the emergence of sprouts, the plants are highly resistant to most infectious and fungal diseases, often summer residents get two harvests of such early ripening varieties of cucumbers.

Cucumber Graceful

Important! The variety is bee-pollinated, therefore, in a greenhouse, vegetable growers have to self-pollinate it.

One of these early ripening varieties is the Graceful cucumber. Its positive qualities are the main reason for the popularity of the variety among summer residents.

The history of the creation of the variety

This variety was bred by Soviet breeders who worked at VNIISSOK. The "author" of the variety is OV Yurina. The new variety was entered into the State Register in the early 70s of the last century. And since then, the Graceful cucumber has been constantly grown in different parts of our country, not only in the open field, but also in a greenhouse.

This cucumber was zoned for cultivation in the Central, Volgovyatsk, Middle Volga, Far Eastern, North-Western regions, as well as in Siberia and the Urals. Experts recommend growing the Graceful cucumber in the open field, but you can also plant it in greenhouse conditions.

Characteristics and description of the cucumber variety Graceful

Cucumbers Graceful - medium-sized. The length of the lashes is up to 3 m, and mainly male flowers are formed on the main shoot, and female flowers are formed on the lateral shoots. Therefore, the cucumber bushes of the Graceful need to be shaped. The main shoot is formed, leaving 5 male flowers on it. And the lateral stems are pinched at a height of 0.6 m only in order to provoke the growth of shoots.

Bush formation

Cucumber Shchedryk

Also, the lashes should be tied to trellises (fan tying is usually recommended).

A large number of both female and male flowers are formed on the lashes, therefore this variety is often grown next to those cucumbers on which only female flowers appear - for their pollination.

Important! The variety is bee-pollinated, therefore, in a greenhouse, vegetable growers have to self-pollinate it.

To better attract bees and other pollinating insects, summer residents spray the whips with a sugar or honey solution - 400 g of sugar or 1 glass of honey are dissolved in a liter of water.

The variety is early maturing and versatile in terms of growing conditions - it takes about 1.5 months from the appearance of the first shoots to harvesting, and it grows equally well in the beds in the garden and in greenhouse conditions. This vegetable crop easily tolerates spring temperature fluctuations, as well as other weather disasters, its main positive quality is its high resistance to a sharp drop in air temperature.

Garden bed

If you properly care for the bushes of this vegetable, after 1.5-2 months at least 4 lateral stems are formed at the main shoot, and the first fruits ripen on the main lash.

These cucumbers have high resistance to the following diseases:

  • bacteriosis;
  • powdery mildew;
  • olive spot.

The ripe fruit is elongated and elliptical. The color of the skin is rich emerald. The ripened fruits have approximately the same size: length from 9 to 13.5 cm, weight - 125-145 g. The fruits themselves are even, covered with small tubercles, have a slight pubescence of white. The skin is thin, crisp, longitudinal white stripes are clearly visible on it, and the top is light. The pulp is light, tender, crunchy, has no voids. Ripe fruits have no bitterness, the aroma is typically cucumber.

Fruit

Productivity - up to 7 kg per sq. meters. The marketable and taste qualities of ripe fruits are excellent. The harvested crop tolerates long-distance transportation without losing its taste and presentation. The variety belongs to the universal - the fruits are used fresh, as well as in conservation.

Agricultural technology for cultivating varieties

Cucumber Vyaznikovsky

Seed planting is carried out in two ways:

  • immediately to the beds;
  • with preliminary cultivation of seedlings at home.

Seedlings should be planted in the last decade of April or in the first decade of May. Seeds bought in specialized stores do not require prior disinfection or stratification. But it is necessary to pre-soak them in order to accelerate the emergence of seedlings.

Cucumbers, like other members of the pumpkin family, do not like frequent transplants, because their delicate root system is often accidentally injured during a pick or transplant into open ground. As a result, seedlings are poorly acclimatized in a new place, grows slower, and often even die.

The seeds of this variety are immediately planted one at a time in peat cups so that the grown seedlings can be planted with containers in prepared beds. The soil that is poured into the containers should be as close as possible to the one into which the seedlings will be transplanted.

Landing

Usually, seedlings at home grow for about a month, based on this, they are determined with the timing of planting seeds - they are transplanted into open ground when the soil on the site warms up to 15 ° C to a depth of 12-15 cm.By this time, at least 4 -5 permanent leaves, and the plants themselves become strong and vigorous. Seedlings are planted at the rate - 2-3 plants should grow per 1 m2.

Important! When planting seed directly into the soil, you should check that the soil temperature is at least 14 ° C. At a lower temperature, the seeds may simply not sprout.

The seeding depth in this case is 1.5 cm.

Beds for planting seeds or seedlings are prepared in the fall - manure, humus or compost are introduced for digging, since cucumbers require a large amount of humus for growth and fruiting. 10 kg of organic fertilizer is applied per 1 m2, which is embedded to a depth of 18-20 cm. By the spring these fertilizers begin to decompose, releasing heat and nutrients into the soil. Additionally, in the spring, when planting seeds or seedlings, potassium-phosphorus fertilizers are added to the holes.

After planting, the beds are watered every day, preventing the topsoil from drying out. Before sprouting, the beds are covered with polyethylene to protect the sprouts from possible spring frosts.

Further care of the seedlings is:

  • regular watering;
  • loosening the soil;
  • introducing a mulch layer;
  • removing weeds;
  • making dressings.

When the seedlings have 4-5 leaves each, trellises are installed on the beds so that the lashes of this cucumber grow up. This saves space on the site, facilitates the care of the bushes and the collection of ripening fruits.

Cucumbers on trellis

The main thing in the process of caring for this vegetable crop is to observe the watering regime. The soil should not be allowed to dry out, therefore, if hot dry weather is established, the cucumber beds need to be watered every day. in rainy weather, the number of waterings is reduced.

Important! Water for irrigation should be warm, cold moisture often provokes the development of root rot in this vegetable crop.

Top dressing for these plants should be applied 12-14 days after transplanting seedlings into open ground.The frequency of fertilization is once every two weeks. Usually organic and mineral supplements alternate. Before the flowers appear, nitrogen should be included in the dressing, after the cucumbers begin to actively bloom, the amount of nitrogen fertilizers is reduced to a minimum.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

Cucumber Porthos

The main advantages of the Graceful cucumber include:

  • early ripening - about 1.5 months pass from the moment of emergence to the collection of the first fruits;
  • high resistance to spring frosts;
  • increased resistance to cold snaps;
  • good marketability and taste of ripe fruits;
  • resistance to most infectious and fungal diseases;
  • versatility of ripe fruits: suitable for salad and canning;
  • even when overripe, the fruits do not turn yellow, the seeds remain tender, and the skin does not coarse;
  • the harvested crop tolerates transportation well.

There are practically no disadvantages of this variety, except for the peculiarities of care: the obligatory formation of bushes, the obligatory garter. A relatively low yield can also be considered a disadvantage. Currently, there are a large number of new early maturing varieties with higher yields.